A Write to Breathe.

Nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds. Like it or not, this timestamp is indelibly emblazoned in the psyche of every single one of us. In nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds, the name George Floyd was added to the ever-expanding list of names of Black and Brown men and women whose lives senselessly were taken at the hands of the very law enforcement officials who have pledged to “Protect and Serve.”

The mantra “I can’t breathe” literally and figuratively has become an unwelcome part of the lexicon for the lives of people of color. The living must continue to fight with whatever means at our disposal, both to honor those no longer with us as well as ensure that we bring an end to the litany of names.

As artists, our goal with this project is to do what the arts have done since the beginning of time; serve as a mirror to society, challenging the status quo, and imploring us all to look, to listen, to feel--to do better and to be better.

Nine minutes and twenty-nine seconds, A Write to Breathe; is a call to action. We offer this space to reflect upon the often legally sanctioned brutality that is being waged against Black and Brown bodies in this time in our nation…the United States of America.

While these acts of police violence disproportionally impact Black and Brown men and women, we are all responsible for altering the narrative and by doing so, move to bring about systemic change. We are inviting and encouraging everyone, young, old, Black, White, Yellow, Brown, and Red, anyone searching for an outlet to express the feelings and emotions that these acts of violence evoke to use this platform and to add your voice!

You may safely express your concerns, fears, outrage, indignation, inspiration, and even, hope. In fact, your words may bring comfort to someone overwhelmed by trauma. Your thoughts may allow someone struggling in isolation to know that they are not alone. Your reflections may bring a level of understanding to someone trapped by and entrenched in their point of view.

What you share may be a poem or a series of statements or a stream of consciousness. You may put together a column of word associations or list a repetition of words or phrases, or, for that matter, contribute anything of your choosing. A polished or edited is not an expectation; unless you are able to do so in the allotted time.  9:29’s fundamental purpose is to allow what you are willing to share to stand in the power of its honesty, its truth, its rawness.  

We hope that you will participate in the project and beyond that enlist your friends, family, and colleagues to join as well. We all have something to say about what we are experiencing and feeling.

As you commit to this process, we ask that you first take a few moments of meditative silence to center and collect your thoughts in preparation for writing.

When you are ready, visit this page or the submission tab at the top to begin.